Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 2 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces neutralized two YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the National Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The terrorists were preparing to launch an attack in the Operation Euphrates Shield zone when they were neutralized by Turkish commandos, the ministry said on Twitter.

Security forces will continue to take all measures to ensure peace and stability in the region, it added.

Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

While the terrorist presence in these areas has been largely eradicated, terror groups have made periodic efforts to shatter the peace in the region.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.